This week we continue our
reflections on “God’s Vision for the Future of the Church.” Over the past several weeks, we have looked
at the statistical decline experienced by the institutional Church in the
U.S. We have also discussed how the
future Church must shift from an “attractional” model of ministry to a
“missional” approach. This Sunday,
November 12th, we will look at “Vision” from a different perspective. The question I would like for us to address
asks, “What is Jesus’ Vision for the Future
Church?”
To guide our reflections on Jesus’
Vision for the future Church, we will use the story of Zacchaeus the “chief tax
collector” in the Gospel of Luke 19:1-10.
To truly understand this passage of scripture, we must begin with a look
at the social and political context of Jesus’ ministry. At the time of Christ’s ministry, the people
of Israel were conquered and oppressed by the Roman Empire and its legions of
soldiers. From the Roman perspective,
the land of Israel was just a backwater country to be taxed and exploited. And so, the Romans taxed everything. There were indirect sales taxes, tolls for
roads and the use of various public goods, tariffs, customs fees, taxes, taxes,
and more taxes.
Collecting all of these taxes required a great deal of time and energy, so
the Romans came up with an ingenious scheme.
They co-opted entrepreneurs from among the Jewish people themselves to
collect all of the taxes. These Jewish
entrepreneurs were called “chief tax collectors.” Each was given a region of the country and
told how much revenue they needed to raise from the various tax schemes for the
occupying Roman Empire. The “chief tax
collectors” then hired others to help them and they collected the taxes. Now, the Romans never offered the “chief tax
collectors” a salary or any form of payment for this service. Instead, it was just assumed that the “chief
tax collectors” would lie and cheat their fellow Jewish countrymen and make a
profit by over-charging on the taxes.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector for the area around the town of
Jericho. Naturally, he was widely
despised by everyone in Jericho. Put
yourself in the shoes—or, rather sandals—of someone living in Jericho. Here is a man who has betrayed his own people
and his own country by openly collaborating with the occupying Romans. This man has probably cheated you on all the
taxes that you owe to the occupying Empire.
And yet, even if he has cheated you, there is nothing—absolutely
nothing—that you can do. If you refuse
to pay the amount of taxes, then they will simply summon a nearby Roman soldier
who will beat you to a pulp—or, worse they will make you watch while they beat
up your daughter or your mother or your grandfather. And, finally, here is a man who is extremely
wealthy, while you are struggling just to feed your family the bare minimum
amount of food. Just like the people in
Jericho, you would hate Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was
very, very, very rich. We can assume
that he lived in one of the largest houses in Jericho. He wore the finest clothes; he ate the best
foods; and he drank the finest wines. All
of his physical needs were met in abundance, and he still had more money to
spend. But, Zacchaeus was not happy; his
life was empty of meaning and joy.
Despite all of his luxurious material possessions, despite all of the fine
food and beautiful clothes, Zacchaeus was not happy; that is to say, Zacchaeus
was not flourishing.
One day, Zacchaeus heard about a new
teacher, a rabbi, whom people said could teach him how to have happiness and
live a life of meaning and fulfillment.
So, Zacchaeus went out to see this wise, new rabbi as he passed through
Jericho. Of course, the crowd around
Jesus was so great that Zacchaeus could not get a glimpse of Jesus. And so, lifting up the hems of his rich,
flowing robes, Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up in a sycamore
tree in order to see Jesus. Biblical
scholars tell us that in Israel at this time, it was considered humiliating for
a grown man to run and climb trees.
So, we can imagine how all of the
crowd began to mock and poke fun at the hated Zacchaeus, as he ran down the
street and climbed up into the tree.
But, Zacchaeus did it anyway. Zacchaeus humiliated himself because he just
wanted to see Jesus; he just wanted to see this new rabbi who might be able to
help him live a full and joyful life.
Zacchaeus humiliated himself, but then Jesus honored him. When Jesus got to that sycamore tree, he
looked up and said: “Zacchaeus come down
out that tree now because I am going to your house for dinner.” Jesus had lots of dinner options that
evening. He would have been welcomed in
any house in Jericho that day; people would have served him their best
food. However, Jesus chose Zacchaeus.
The Bible doesn’t tell us what went
on at the meal that night. We don’t know
what Jesus said to Zacchaeus. But, we do
know that at the end of the evening Zacchaeus promised to give half of his
wealth to the poor and to repay fourfold anyone whom he had defrauded. And, we do know that Jesus said, “Today,
salvation has come to this house.”
But, here’s the question: Why did
Zacchaeus promise to give away all that money when he was having dinner with
Jesus? As I said above, we really
don’t know what Jesus and Zacchaeus talked about that night. However, I think that we can probably infer
that Jesus encouraged Zacchaeus to dream with him about a new life, with new
priorities and a new lifestyle. Rather
than focusing so much on accumulating more and more wealth, I suspect that
Jesus encouraged Zacchaeus to focus on something much bigger than material
possessions. I believe that Jesus
encouraged Zacchaeus to dream boldly and be willing to take chances. I believe that Jesus encouraged Zacchaeus to
dream about investing himself in Jesus’ dream for him. That is, Zacchaeus re-committed his life to
dream with Jesus about a world in which God’s Reign becomes completed—and to
imagine himself as working with Jesus to establish God’s Reign.
In his song, “Untitled Hymn,” contemporary
Christian musician Chris Rice has a verse that goes like this:
“O,
and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!”[1]
I
really appreciate “Untitled Hymn” and especially this verse. However, I would add another verse that
encourages all Christians to “Dream with
Jesus and Live!” I believe that
Jesus encourages each of us to dream and envision a better world, where God’s
Reign is established; where we live in peace and justice with one another—and sustainably
with the rest of Creation. Further, I
believe that Jesus calls upon us dedicate our lives, both individually and as
faith communities to work as God’s co-creators in establishing the Divine
Reign. I believe that Jesus encourages
us to dream boldly and be willing to take some chances. This quest to establish God’s Reign is a
decision to re-orient our priorities and our lifestyles, so that building God’s
Kingdom becomes the central commitment in our lives. When we make that commitment to this vision,
then we will truly live.
If you
live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I
invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, November
12th. This Sunday, we will reflect on
what it means to “Dream with Jesus—and Live.” We will also be honoring and recognizing all
of the 50-year members of our church. Christ
UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our two traditional Worship Services are at
8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday morning.
Come, join us. Everyone is welcome and accepted because God
loves us all.
[1]
Chris Rice, “Untitled Hymn” (2003), on his album, Run the Earth, Watch the Sky, accessed online at https://www.google.com/search?q=chris+rice+untitled+hymn&oq=Chris+Rice+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.10819j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8,
4 November 2017.
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